this is "world news." tonight, on the brink. rockets are firing, the death toll climbing. growing fear of war in a flash point of the world. money game. brian ross investigates. did the two women at the center of the big scandal try to make a profit from their ties to petraeus? caffeine bomb? those tiny energy drinks under fire tonight for too much caffeine too fast. and we put the ceo in the hot seat. and, can it be? look at this. a variation of the legendary moby dick. you'll see an amazing sight tearing through the water.

good evening. as we come on the air, the entire globe is focused on this question. are we on the brink of a new war in the middle east? all day long, we have seen rockets firing back and forth, taking a very real human toll. look at this picture, from the gaza strip in the middle east. a father weeping, his 11-month-old son dead in his arms. at the same time, the terrifying sound of an air raid siren. listen. and there is panic and fear in the streets of israel tonight. we're going to talk to abc's global affairs correspondent christiane amanpouamanpour. but we go first to the front lines, where israel meeflts the gaza strip, and abc's alex marquardt is there, in the middle, in gaza city. alex? >> reporter: good evening, diane. we've heard some very loud explosions all around us tonight

as israeli missiles land. we've heard the disting woosh of outgoing rockets at hamas returns fire. tonight, it sees this burst of violence is only getting worse. all day long, rockets filled the bright blue sky, gaza militants firing on israel. at least one rocket landed tonight in tel aviv, israel's commercial capital. sirens blared. residents hit the ground. three israelis were killed earlier when a rocket hit their apartment in the south. this as israeli warplanes pounded the gaza strip. its target? militant groups, most notably, hamas. but caught in the cross-fire, at least 12 civilian, including that 11-month-old boy. "what did my son do to die like this?" his father cried. this is what the aftermath of one of these strikes looks like. a massive crater filled with cinderblock and rebar, with a strong smell of diesel fuel, several of the houses around

were damaged very badly. and the residents here on this street tell us they hope hamas and the other groups keep firing rockets into israel in retaliation. israel sails this is a response to the almost 800 rockets that had landed in israel from gaza this year alone. this biggest escalation in years began yesterday, with israel targeting the car of hamas' top military commander, eliminated in the blink of an eye. israel sails it is ready to enlarge this operation. and there are reports of significant troop movements towards gaza. 30,000 reservists may also be called up. a sign that an israeli ground incursion may be imminent. diane? >> thank you, alex. now, we want to go to jerusalem and abc's christiane amanpour. christia christiane, bottom line, first of all, is this region going to all-out war? >> reporter: well, clearly that's something that the united states does not want to see. there's a lot of upheaval and

instability right now and anymore would just be bad news all around. already this region is destabilized. you've got this ongoing civil war in syria. you've got tensions in lebanon and that brings in hezbollah. and now with these post-arab spring democracies, these countries are much more answerable to their people. and if their people see that this situation in gaza is untenable and if they start to take to the streets, to protest against their leaders, if it enflames the arab street more than it has in the past, that would cause more instability. >> but at this point, what is the u.s. obligation to israel, for defense in this situation, but also, what kind of pressure to exert? >> reporter: the u.s. has this historic agreement to defend israel and stand by israel. what it hopes to be able to do is encourage israel not to cause too many civilian casualties, like what happened last time. but beyond that, the united states is not going to get involved on the ground.

>> where do you place the odds that hamas will listen to the egyptians and, indeed, there will be a cease-fire? >> reporter: i think it's going to take some time. but this, the israelis say, is going to go on. it's not a matter of days, it could be weeks, diane. >> christiane amanpour reporting from jerusalem tonight. thank you so much. and now, back here in the united states, we have news about the scandal that toppled the cia director, former general david petraeus. abc's brian ross look eed into this question. did the two women involved in the scandal try to make a profit off their ties to the officers? here's the brian ross investigation. >> reporter: in addition to the book and the sex, paula broadwell's relationship with general david petraeus provided another benefit. a celebrity status in military circles that led to a role as an expert commentator and firing range demonstrator in an infomercial for a company trying to gain military contracts for this strange looking machine

gun. >> on the individual fighter reducing weight is critical. >> reporter: on the tape, shot last december in the midst of her affair with the four-star general, broadwell is identified as the author of the petraeus biography. officials at the company, located in virginia beach, said broadwell has no official affiliation with them, but would not answer abc news questions about why they chose to use her as a spokesperson. but watchdog groups say the use of broadwell was a brilliant move. >> people did not have to know she was his mistress. they knew he was friends with her. anyone in the agency would know this is someone petraeus is going to be favorable towards. >> reporter: and broadwell is not the only woman that seems to try to benefit from her ties to petraeus. jill kelley allegedly used the cia director's name in an effort this summer to broker a contract

for a $4 billion energy facility, with senior officials with the south korean government. according to new york businessman adam victor. >> miss kelley made it clear to me that general petraeus put her in this position and that's why she was able to have access to such senior levels that they were essentially doing a favor for general petraeus. >> reporter: victor said he broke off dealing with kelley after she asked for a commission of about $80 million. there was no comment today from jill kelley, but a source close to general petraeus said tonight he had nothing whatsoever to do with any such deal and that he asked jill kelley to stop throwing his name around so much. >> and general petraeus had a comment today. >> reporter: he reiterated he did not provide any classified information to paula broadwell and that he's said that because now the inspector general at the cia has said he is opening a new and full investigation into the general's conduct. >> he has said he did not do that.

thank you, brian. and, now, there is big news tonight on bp and that oil spill in the gulf. you remember these images. 11 workers killed, 85 days to stop the gush of 172 million gallons of crude oil pouring into the water. and today, it was a day of reckoning nor bp. abc's pierre thomas items us what happened. >> reporter: we all remember the searing images. the horrific fire. oil spewing into the gulf of mexico. today we learned bp executives lied about the scale of the spill from the very beginning. for weeks, this is what the company told the public and congress about how much was leaking. >> something around 5,000 actually barrels a day is the best estimate. >> reporter: but at the time, bp's own estimated showed the well was liking up to 92,000 barrels a day. today, bp pleaded guilty to misleading congress and to manslaughter for the death of 11 workers on that oil rig.

>> the deaths of the 11 men on board the deepwater horizon could have been avoided. >> reporter: today, two bp company men who were on-site were indiagnost dieted indicted manslaughter. the company agreed to pay $4.5 million in fines. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. and also in the news today, president obama took an aerial tour of the hurricane sandy destruction, meeting with families still trying to recover on staten island. later, and in private, he met with the parents of the two young boys who were killed in that storm. and we have learned of an aftershock from the storm which will affect everyone coast to coast. abc's steve osunsami with the surprising consequence of the storm. >> reporter: when those awful

flood waters from sandy came rushing through, flooding streets and swamping homes, what no one expected was the storm's surprising second hit. >> we all lost our cars. at the same time, we're all trying to get a car. it's a mad house. >> reporter: more than 250,000 personal vehicles were washed away by storm waters. today, used car dealerships are busy with storm victims and, adding insult to injury, prices are shooting up because of the storm. >> we're expecting to see higher prices of $700 to $1,000 per vehicle. >> reporter: for every six people who walk into this used car dealership on staten island to buy a used car, five of them lost cars to the storm. michelle and thomas lupari just bought a used mini van that can with 70,000 miles. >> i need a car. i have to go to work tomorrow. so -- i'm kind of stuck. >> reporter: it was a happy moment -- >> sign the bottom. >> reporter: but costly, too. >> we had hoped to get something under $10,000, i winded up spending $13,000.

>> reporter: nancy zito lost two cars. today, she can only afford one. >> right now between repairs and everything else that's going on, we just don't have the money. >> reporter: and it's not just the hurricane zone. experts believe used car prices will rise across the country, as dealerships in new york and new jersey drain supply. michael deville manages a dealership in los angeles. >> the east coast dealers are going to have to buy used cars, so they're going to come over here to buy used cars and that will cause a price increase. >> reporter: and there's another problem. you can see it in all of these flooded cars that line up and down the street that were flooded by the east river just a block away. how do you keep these rusting, rotted cars from winding up on used car lots across the country? experts say if you are going to buy a used car, you should look for moisture, sand and leaves. even take out the spare tire and look there, if you have to. diane? >> thank you for the heads up to every consumer in this country. thank you so much, steve. and now we turn to a major

headline overseas, with a direct affect on the united states. china has named a new leader, xi gin pi jinping. we don't know much about his personal life, but we do know he's married to the chinese equivalent of celine dion. and he's very familiar with america. loves the nba, in fact. but whether china will be a true friend of adversary of the u.s. remains to be seen. still ahead on "world news," the energy drink some are linking to a dozen deaths. is too much caffeine too fast the problem? next. americans believe th should be in charge of their own future. how they'll live tomorrow. for more than 116 years, ameriprise financial has worked for their clients' futures. helping millions of americans retire on their terms. when they want.

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get coricidin hbp. the number one pharmacist recommended cold brand designed for people with high blood pressure. and the only one i use to relieve my cold symptoms without raising my blood pressure. coricidin hbp. we know that people will go very far in the search for more energy and a lot of that time it means pouring in the caffeine. but can too much caffeine too fast be deadly? tonight, the fda is looking into reports of more than a dozen people whose deaths might be linked to the 5-hour energy drink. and abc's senior national correspondent jim avila has more on these potential caffeine bombs. >> reporter: these youtube videos are a manual on what not to do with an energy drink. this is cleary 5-hour energy drink abuse. >> chug, chug! >> reporter: videos that anger

the founder of the billion-dollar company, that sells 1.5 million 2-ounce bottles of the stuff every day. >> don't get crazy. don't take too much. that would be a really dumb thing to do. if you do dumb stuff, you are going to end up in the hospital. >> reporter: and manoj bhargava says that's the only way his little bottle of jolt is dangerous -- abuse. as for today's alarming news of 13 deaths and 33 hospitalizations the last four years, reported to the fda, all claiming to be linked to this product, bhargava says just not true. is there any risk to a healthy person drinking your product? >> not at all. none. >> reporter: how much caffeine is really in 5-hour energy? a 2-ounce bottle contains 207 milligrams of caffeine. equivalent to two 8-ounce cups of coffee. 2.5 red bulls. or nearly 6 coca-colas. and many doctors say research shows that doesn't tell the whole story. >> energy drinks take it to a different level because there are other components, other

ingredients, in these drinks that take the caffeine and make it even more potent. >> reporter: one of the ingredients in 5-hour energy is taurine, what scientists call a caffeine-potentiating amino acid, or coffee turbo-charged. kicking up the caffeine dramatically. >> if you knew you were capable of drinking four cups of coffee over the morning, you probably would feel very different than if you drank four energy drinks. >> reporter: how much caffeine does it take to kill a healthy person? about 5,000 milligrams. that's 50 couple of coffee, or 25 shots of 5-hour. many more than the two bottles a day 5-hour energy recommends. jim avila, abc news, new york. and coming up, we'll show you an amazing sight, surfacing out of the ocean. a white whale that had everyone talking about a kind of real-life moby dick. before copd... i took my son fishing every year. we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it.

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family is twinkies. >> oh, my. hostess tells us they will likely announce if they are going bankrupt tomorrow. and women used to be a rare sight in the halls of congress. and our tweet of the night is this, quote, first ever in u.s. history. traffic jam in the women senator's restroom. #somerecordsmustbebroken. who said that? the minnesota senator, because just hours before, this brand new video. 20 female senators assembled together, several of them just elected. a record-breaking number of women serving in this 113th congress. and look at these pictures, a spectacular sight. so rare tonight. it's causing a huge splash around the world. a white humpback whale, a variation of a real-life moby dick, spotted swimming with a pod of mpbacks in norway. its color is caused by a

condition that reduces all types of skin pigment. the whale watchers dubbed it willow the white whale. and the photographer who spent a decade working at sea says he's never seen anything like it. so, let us know if willow captured your imagination. tweet me your thoughts for "instant index" @dianesawyer. and coming up next -- so, what is it lighting up this little girl's face? is there a small gift we take for granted that can make absolutely everything to a child? find out what it is.le announcet plus presents the cold truth. i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still "stubbed" up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a decongestant. no way. [ male announcer ] sorry. alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth!

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said, sometimes there's just the small thing so many of us take for granted that can make absolutely everything to a child. what if your children had never seen or owned a single book of their own? here's abc's terry moran with a group of people who are changing that for millions of children, one little smile at a time. >> reporter: you remember your first book. >> reporter: your first book. a moment filled with bright dreams and possibilities. and today, in washington, d.c. these children began living those dreams. >> look. >> reporter: a tiny baby bird. i didn't see that. kaliyah is one of millions of millions of american girls and boys 42% of all of our children who live in poverty. books are luxuries in many of their homes. >> we are here to celebrate 100 million books. >> reporter:

>> i've seen the light in their eyes go on. they can't believe they get to keep books of their own. >> reporter: it makes a life long difference. studies show an ability for a child to understand stories when books are in the home. way back in 1992, crystal stuart got a book from first book. chef was the oldest of four kids of a working mom and she just loved to read. still does. it almost sounds like reading helped you get away. >> it did. >> reporter: from the tough parts of your childhood. >> it did. >> reporter: today it was chase kennedy williams who received the official 100 millionth book. >> "green eggs and hall." they become voters. they can get jobs. it's a tremendously empowering thing for somebody to become a reader. >> reporter: congratulations. >> thank you. >> reporter: you're welcome. our children. our future. what dreams they carry away. terry moran, abc news, washington.

>> and we are so happy that our parent company disney is a major contributor to first book. and you can, too. 100 million books and it is just the beginning, because so many of the 30 million children living in low income homes tonight need the gift of reading. and we love the way dr. seuss himself wrote it. "the more that you read, the more things you will know. the more that you learn, the more places you'll go." and we thank you for watching. we're always here at abcnews.com. "nightline" will be here later. and we'll see you back here again tomorrow. good night. [ female announcer ] welcome one and all

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